Police find suspect bag after Europeans championships

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Police in Gothenburg said on Monday
they had found a bag containing what appeared to be materials
used for doping near the venue of the European athletics
championships, which ended on Sunday.

In a separate scandal, former world high jump record holder
Patrik Sjoberg told Swedish media he had been detained by
police after using cocaine at a party in Gothenburg.

The suspect bag was found in a garbage can on a street
within easy walking distance of the Ullevi stadium, where the
European championships took place,.

“Before noon, a bag containing what we believe is doping
equipment, syringes and catheters was found,” Swedish police
said in a statement. “Most of what has been found has been
used.”

Police released a photograph of a blue bag full of used
syringes, needles, tubes and small bottles.

“Another bag was found later which had equipment for blood
transfusions,” they added.

No suspect had been identified linked to the bags and an
investigation of the contents would take place.

Sjoberg, who won medals at three Olympic Games and set his
world record in 1987, said in an open letter to Swedish media
that he had been detained in central Gothenburg.

“In the night to Sunday August 13 I did something stupid: I
sniffed cocaine at a party for ‘old’ athletes,” he said.

Swedish Athletics Association president Yngve Andersson
told Reuters that relay runner Patrik Lovgren had contacted him
to say that he had also been detained.

“He has confirmed he was in the group that police asked to
take some tests,” Andersson said. The test was for cocaine, he
added.

Lovgren was a reserve in Sweden’s 4×100 metres relay team
at last week’s European championships.

Sven Nylander, a former national 400 metres hurdler, told
broadcaster TV4′s website that he had also been detained by
police and underwent a urine test.

Hans Svensson, chairman of the Clean Sport anti-doping
organization, told national broadcaster SVT that Nylander had
decided to step down from his work as operational head of the
body.

Clean Sport is an organization that includes some of
Sweden’s top athletes and aims to combat doping in sport.